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Outline
1. Course overview
2. Course schedule
3. Passing the course
4. Website and material
5. Q&A
6. Defining videogames
7. Game genres
8. The game industry
9. Social aspects
Contents of the course
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1. Course overview
World of Warcraft as a videogame
“World of Warcraft" by juanpol is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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1. Course overview
The core business of Blizzard Entertainment
20+ years of history
In 2008, peak of 11.5M subscribers
Currently, 5.6M
Almost 10M in the previous (2014) edition of this course
Over 100 million accounts over the game’s lifetime
(World of) Warcraft as a product
Retrieved from Wikipedia on August 5, 2015
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1. Course overview
The original WoW was released in 2004
Newer versions come as “expansion sets”
Additional software (for sale!) that adds new content and features to the game
Five expansions so far
Burning Crusade (2007)
Wrath of the Lich King (2008)
Cataclysm (2010)
Mists of Pandaria (2012)
Warlords of Draenor (Nov 2014)
The Warcraft expansion mechanism
Retrieved from Wikipedia on January 15, 2014
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1. Course overview
By successfully attending the course, the student:
Learns the fundamentals of game production
Knows the activities, roles, and tools in game production
Is aware of the challenges of game production
Has hands-on expertise with techniques that support game (and software) production
Learns the difference between production in large studios and indie production
Intended learning outcomes
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1. Course overview
The course is NOT intended to:
Teach how to develop a game
Explain in detail all existing techniques of phase in game production
Build a professional that can immediately be hired as a game producer
Experience is needed to do so
Teach all the principles of game design
What is out of scope?
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1. Course overview
Active participation in the lectures
Enthusiasm in the practical activities
Timely delivery of assignments
Attendance of the activities
Not enforced, but warmly encouraged
The exam will cover all the presented and discussed topics!
What do I (Fabiano) expect from the students?
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1. Course overview
Interactive teaching mode
Active practical activities
Fast response to questions
Initially via e-mail
If needed, a meeting will be scheduled
Well-defined grading scheme
What can you expect from the lecturer?
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2. Schedule
Production processes and roles
Project planning
Agile development via Scrum
Indie games
Concept and pitching
Game design and development
Project risk management
Requirements engineering for games
Game development
Business models
Argumentation to resolve conflicts
Reuse of games
Quality assurance: testing games
Covered topics
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2. Schedule
Lectures given by the lecturer
Guest lectures on selected topics
Interactive hands-on sessions
Discussion sessions
Hands-on workshops
Instructional methods: overview
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2. Schedule
Guest lectures
Garm Lucassen
User stories workshop
Ph.D. Student
Floris Bex
Argumentation workshop
Assistant Professor
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2. Schedule
Great opportunity to meet Dutch game companies in Utrecht, and play games
You are warmly encouraged to visit and interact!
Do you wanna know more about the game industry?
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2. Schedule
The course is in timeslot D (D1, D4, D5)
Three meetings per week
Wednesday 13.15 to 15.00: BBG-205
Friday 9.00 to 10.45: BBG-083
Friday 11.00 to 12.45: BBG-175 CLZ + BBG-103 CLZ
• I will try to fit you all in one room though…
Lectures start on September 4, 2015 – and end on October 30, 2015
Practical information
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2. Schedule
Week 1
Sep 4, Friday I: Introduction to the course
Week 2
Sep 9, Wednesday: Game production
Sep 11, Friday I: Planning and risk
Sep 11, Friday II: Agile development
Week 3
Sep 16, Wednesday: User stories workshop
Sep 18, Friday I+II: Game production/pitching workshop
Detailed planning (may change)
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2. Schedule
Week 4
Sep 23, Wednesday: Game development
Sep 25, Friday I: Initial project presentations
Sep 25, Friday II: Planning and risk workshsop
Week 5
Sep 30, Wednesday: Game design
Oct 2, Friday I: The business of games
Oct 2, Friday II: The business of games: workshop
Week 6
Oct 7, Wednesday: Midterm exam
Oct 9, Friday I+II: Argumentation workshop (Floris Bex)
Detailed planning (may change)
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2. Schedule
Week 7
Oct 14, Wednesday: Advanced requirements engineering
Oct 16, Friday I: Designing serious games
Oct 16, Friday II: Workshop on advanced RE
Week 8
Oct 21, Wednesday: Reuse
Oct 23, Friday I: Testing
Oct 23, Friday II: Workshop on reuse
Week 9
Oct 28, Wednesday: Testing workshop
Oct 30, Friday I+II: Final project presentations + wrap up
Detailed planning (may change)
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3. Passing the course
Midterm exam: 25%
Final exam: 35%
Team project: 40%
Project = simulation of game production
Teams of 3 students
Delivered in four assignments
1. Game pitch and initial requirements for the game backlog [Sep 25]
2. Detailed planning and business model [Oct 9]
3. Game design, requirements alternatives and prioritization [Oct 23]
4. Reuse-oriented design and testing techniques [Nov 6]
For a grade of 8.5 or above, a prototype shall be delivered
Overview
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3. Passing the course
In order to pass,
At least two of the three components should be fully sufficient (6.0 or above).
Two presentations are given by the team on the project
What happens if this is not the case?
Failing midterm or final exam retake exam
Failing part of the project hand in a revised version
Retake rules
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3. Passing the course
Important dates
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4. Website and material
Syllabus, news, lecture slides, schedule
http://gameproductionuu.wordpress.com
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4. Website and material
Lecture slides
20+ mandatory papers to study
Will be covered by the exams
https://gameproductionuu.wordpress.com/literature/
No mandatory textbook
A list of optional books is provided online
Additional links on the website
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5. Q&A
Don’t be shy, ask!
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6. Defining videogames
Pictorial definition #1
Unnamed picture by herzeleyd is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Game: “The Fallen Angels”
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6. Defining videogames
Pictorial definition #2
GTA V Gameplay (57) - SMADE MEDIA by SMADEIMEDIA Galleria is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
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1. Defining videogames
Towards an intuitive definition?
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6. Defining videogames
it is an artefact in a digital visual medium,
is intended primarily as an object of entertainment,
and is intended to provide such entertainment through the employment of one or both of the following modes of engagement:
rule-bound gameplay or
interactive fiction
Examples
Rule-bound gameplay: Tetris
Interactive fiction: text adventures
Textual definition #1 [Tavinor 2008]
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6. Defining videogames
Videogames are interactive applications that enter into interaction with a player
Textual definition #2 [Djaouti, 2007]
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6. Defining videogames
Play vs. game (an ontological/epistemological study)
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6. Defining videogames
A big debate exists on what videogames are
… but we are very good at recognizing whether something is a videogame or not
In this course, we won’t be strict:
flight simulators are videogames
Simcity is a videogame
… but MS Word is not a videogame
… and FourSquare is not a videogame too
Concluding
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7. Game genres
Just like for the definition of a videogame, many videogame taxonomies exist
Let’s review some!
One of the earliest [Crawford 1984]
Skill and action game vs. Strategy game
How to classify games?
Half-Life 2: Episode One by kartooner is
licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Freeciv
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7. Game genres
Scientifically weak, but these terms are pervasive
Action
Adventure
Action-Adventure
Role-Playing
Simulation
Strategy
Sports
Wikipedia’s classification (retrieved Jan 19, 2014)
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7. Game genres
Quick reflexes, accuracy, timing to overcome obstacles
Many have emphasis on combat
Fighting games
First-person shooters
Action games: examples
Unnamed picture by herzeleyd is licensed
under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Half-Life 2: Episode One by kartooner is
licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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7. Game genres
Unimportance of action and reflex
Solving “puzzles” in the environment
Adventure games: examples
Maniac mansion (1987)
Myst (1993)
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7. Game genres
Combine action and adventure
With the advent of 3D, most adventures include action elements
Action-adventure games
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time (1998)
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7. Game genres
The players controls the actions of a protagonist immersed in a fictional world
… but isn’t this an action-adventure game?
Role-playing games
Final Fantasy XI (2003)
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7. Game genres
They closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality
Construction and management
Life
Vehicle
Simulation games
Simlife (1992) Flightgear 1.0 (2008)
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7. Game genres
Require careful thinking and planning to win
… but what about action games or role-playing games?
Strategy games
FreeCiv 2.1.0
Scorched 3D
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7. Game genres
Enable the virtual playing of some sport
How do they relate to previous categories???
Sports games
FIFA 14 (2013)
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7. Game genres7. Game genres
A more conceptual approach [Lindley 2003]
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7. Game genres
Gambling: decisions of gain or loss made by chance within a framework of agreed rules
Ludology: a game is a goal-directed and competitive activity conducted within a framework of agreed rules
Narratology: an experience that is structured in time
Simulation: a representation of the function, operation or features of one process or system through the use of another
A more conceptual approach [Lindley 2003]
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7. Game genres
Exercise: apply the framework!
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8. The game industry
Data from the Entertainment Software Association
Data from the US
Recent stats on “who’s playing” – 2015
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8. The game industry
Not only men
Not youngsters
Recent stats on “who’s playing” – 2015
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8. The game industry
Social games!
Recent stats on “who’s playing” – 2015
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8. The game industry
Recent stats on “who’s playing” – 2015
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8. The game industry
Recent stats on “who’s playing” – 20135
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9. Social aspects
Crime, violence, racism
An often-heard adagio is that “playing (violent) games incurs in aggressive people”
Is that true?
Correlations have been found, e.g., [Gentile 2003]
However, no definite conclusion can be drawn [Griffiths 2005]
Racism – a famous example is GTA: Vice City (2002)
In a fictionalized Miami, war between Haitians and Cubans
Coarse discriminatory language was used between the gangs
Rockstar (the developer/producer) changed a sentence
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9. Social aspects
Addiction
The excessive or compulsive use of video-games, which interferes with one’s life
Social isolation
Mood swings
Diminished imagination
A special sub-case is “internet gaming addiction”
This term started as early as 1978 with Space Invaders!
In some countries, this is recognized as an actual addiction, and treatment centers have been opened
South Korea, China, the Netherlands (now closed), Canada, US, Australia
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9. Social aspects
Rating and censorship
In most countries, before release, games need to get a rating certification based on their content
US: Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
Europe: Pan European Game Information (PEGI)
Censorship applies to games too, and some games had to be modified accordingly
Call of Duty: World at War – removed all Nazi-related content
Resident Evil 4 – in Japan, decapitations are not shown
Metal Gear Solid (Game Boy) – in North America, no reference to smoking
Irrespective of whether one agrees or not, when producing a game, these are key aspects to consider
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9. Social aspects
Positive effects
Unlike other media, gain full attention by the player
They can be used for learning
Already used in the army and to train pilots
They can become the unlikely champion of education [Fergusson, 2007]
Hand-eye coordination
Full-body movement, with new consoles such as Wii
Relief of stress
This leads to serious games (also called applied games): games used beyond the mere purpose of entertaining
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Forming the teams
By September 9, 23.59
https://goo.gl/axT7Lx
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References
1. Lindley, Craig A. "Game taxonomies: A high level framework for game analysis and design.", Gamasutra. URL: www. gamasutra.com/features/20031003/lindley_01. shtml, (2003).
2. Walther, Bo Kampmann. "Playing and gaming." Game Studies 3, no. 1 (2003): 1-20.
Mandatory
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References
Crawford, Chris. "The art of computer game design", (1984).
Djaouti, Damien, Julian Alvarez, J. P. Jessel, G. Methel, and P. Molinier. "The nature of gameplay: a videogame classification." Cybergames2007 (2007).
Ferguson, Christopher John. "The good, the bad and the ugly: A meta-analytic review of positive and negative effects of violent video games." Psychiatric Quarterly 78.4 (2007): 309-316.
Gentile, Douglas A., et al. "The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance." Journal of adolescence 27.1 (2004): 5-22.
Griffiths, Mark. "Video games and Health: Video gaming is safe for most players and can be useful in health care." BMJ: British Medical Journal331.7509 (2005): 122.
Tavinor, Grant. "Definition of videogames", Contemporary Aesthetics 6 (2008).
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